Hong Kongers don't mess around about infectious diseases. Via the South China Morning Post: Pregnant Cathay Pacific flight attendants threaten to all go on sick leave after staff member becomes 33rd person in Hong Kong to catch measles this year. Excerpt:
A group of pregnant Cathay Pacific flight attendants have said they will all take sick leave from Monday unless the Hong Kong-based airline improves its safeguards against the measles outbreak in the city.
The threat came after the carrier had to disinfect part of its corporate headquarters after an office worker became the 33rd person to catch the disease in Hong Kong, and the 13th airport and airline employee to be affected.
Vera Wu Yee-mei, chairwoman of the Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, said about 10 flight attendants, who had been transferred to ground duties in various departments at the company’s headquarters, were upset by what they viewed as insufficient measures to ensure staff safety.
Wu wrote to the airline’s management on Saturday, urging them to temporarily allow the women to either work from home or to go on paid sick leave.
Wu also called for the whole of the airline’s headquarters to be disinfected, and said the company had until Monday to reply, or the flight attendants would call in sick.
“We want the company to take a more proactive approaches to tackling the outbreak, not as passive as they appear to be now,” Wu said.
A spokeswoman from the airline said the company understood the concerns of pregnant colleagues who worked near the employee with measles. She said they were advised to see their doctor and follow their advice if they had concerns about their immunisation status or possible exposure.
“We are also reaching out to those pregnant colleagues on work arrangements,” she added.
